Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-24
A MARVELLOUS ESCAPE,
The Account Given by a Lady Passenger
on the stage Coach that Took the Ter.
rible Tumble over an Embaukmeat OF
400 Feet. and Who Escaped Without a
Scratch.
CHICAGO. Jan. %

CHICAGO, Jan. %.
Mrs. I. j. Townsley of Chicago, the lady
who was the occupant of the stage coach
that topped distance of 400 feet down In
dependence Pass, Colorado, last month,
without sustaining SO much as scratch, ar
rived here yesterday. Mrs. Townsley is
prepossessing aud about % years old. Des-
cribing the marvellous incident the details of
which have not before been printed, she
says:
About daybreak on the morning of Dec.
10, was awakened at my hotel in Lesdvile
and Informed that the Aspen stage coach
was waiting for me. 1t was bitter cold and
was showing so densely that the driver had
to pilot me TO the coacn. han on heavy
double fold velvet dress, a sealskin eacque,
and buffalo robe pinned over my shoulders
My head was covered up by fur cap and my
face was enveloped in shawl allowing ap-
erture for my eyes. Despite all these pro-
tections | was frightfully cold.
The coach was drawn by six horses aud
was on wheels. We were preceded by the
Granite coach, which vas on runners. The
road over Elk mountain is a natural one and
will admit of but single coach passing at a
time. At the apex OF the mountain the Gran
lite coach pulled IN at station blasted out OF
the rock and allowed US to go ahead. Here
the descent began. The road at this point
runs at an incline of 10 degrees The driver
rut on his block chain to the wheels, thus
virtually converting them into runners. The
vehicle, despite these precautions and by its
own weight, went down at Il frlgbttul pace.
We could hardly keep our seats. We bal
anced ourselves as best we could. Running
up from the truck and through the box of
the coach was q perpendicular bar OF steel
ga cd hA | att f.N IN
managed to keep myself right side up.
Down went our path on the side Of the noun
tain. We went with horses on mad gallop,
to keep the coach from running them down.
We were rounding Independence Pass,
when suddenly the driver cried Jump!
Jump for your" He never finished the
sentence. He had been holding the coach as
near the embankment as the narrow pass
would permit. Ahead of him he saw a
heavy boulder topple and fall down the
mountain side into the path This caused
hmIto make the cry of warning. The OBJ
struction was but twenty yards ahead of him
and it was beyond human power to stay the
impetus the coach had gotten coming down
the incline. | saw the driver leap. Inside
we held on to the king-pin. Down we went
and in another moment the forward wheels
struck the rock. The hind part of tho coach
king-pin snapped asunder like reed The
box with all in it went over the precipice on
its side and through the window | fell out.
Less fortunate than myself, the coach and
my fellow tourists lodged in a crevice on
the side OF the preclpice some $50 feet below
the road. | was thrown out with such force
that | cleared the crag and kept on and down
fully 400 feet to the bed of the canon and
into bank of snow, cutting my way into it
as if it was water head first. The Granite coach
just to the rear of us pulled into the notch
in the rocks and the driver and some pros
pectors got out and climbed down to where
| had lodged Armed with shovels they be-
gan to dig me out, and it is curious to relate,
the one flesh wound | received from the
| blade of a shovel, which plowed furrow IN
my ankle when they reached me. | was
finally dug out unconscious and to all ap-
pearances dead. Restoratiyes were admins
tered and | was taken up and carried to the
toll house at the head of the cliff.
Here my hands and limbs were rubbed and
my face was slapped until my cheeks were
raw, but all to no avail. | was black in the
face and there was no visible respiration. |
was left in care of the toll keeper and the
Granite coach passengers, while the two
drivers started for Aspen l3 miles distant to
summon surgical aid One Of the party re-
turned at midnight with the doctor. In the
meantime had revived and had in company
with the toll keeper gone down in a sleigh TO
the dinner station, three miles teiow and was
administering to the wounded and dying. All
the rest had sustained frightful injuries in
their fall of $50 feet.